Chapter Twelve – She Executes Her Plan
Miss Parker entered Sydney's office and began speaking without introduction. "I'm going to tell Broots."
The doctor, not knowing what she was talking about, frantically cast about for the topic of conversation for a brief moment. Finally, he asked, "What do you need him for?"
"I need someone tech-savvy enough run circles around the security," she explained. Then she added, "That, and I needed someone to help you move Jarod."
Sydney cocked his head slightly.
"Follow me," she said as she stalked out of the office. "I don't want to have to explain twice."
Broots looked up from his terminal. "Oh, hello, Miss Parker, Sydney."
"Good morning, Broots," Sydney returned.
"Broots, I've got a secret to share with you," Miss Parker began.
She described Lyle's plot in a sequential way, adding commentary she had stolen from Jarod. The bald man stayed silent, although he occasionally looked to Sydney for confirmation, and the doctor would give him a nod.
"But then, he didn't even really need to kill all those people," Broots murmured. "All that death is just ... sick."
"That and he's been using me the whole time, so I intend on giving him his just desserts," Miss Parker said.
"How do you intend on doing that?" the doctor asked.
She laid out her plan.
Jarod was sitting, admiring his work, when Miss Parker came in during the noon hour. He smiled broadly. "Look! The puzzle's finished! Eleven and a half days but I did it!"
It's really sad to bring him down like this, Miss Parker thought as she grinned as well. "It's beautiful, Jarod. Do you want to celebrate by taking a ride?"
"No, I think not," he said as the smile left his face.
"First, you don't want to stay here. Now you don't want to leave," she said, slightly annoyed. "What do you want?"
"I want you to let me go," he said softly.
She stepped forward and stood extremely close to Jarod. He retreated a step and backed into the wall. Miss Parker took one of his hands and unlocked the handcuff. He looked at her with surprise as she undid the other one. "Fine," she said. He stood still as she undid the ones on his feet.
Miss Parker straightened up and Jarod bowed as he gestured the door. "Ladies first."
She made no move, and he stood up. "I'm bending the rules today," she said with an odd smile. "You go."
He sighed and exited first. There's no way I'm going to escape before we make it to The Centre, he thought. He led her out of the house.
Jarod was momentarily blinded when he first stepped into the sunlight, and when he recovered, he saw Broots waving at him from inside Miss Parker's car. She pushed him forward. "Did I tell you?" she asked rhetorically. "Broots and Syd are coming with us."
He entered the car in a docile manner, as if resigned to his fate. After he was buckled in, Sydney asked him, "How are things going, Jarod?"
Miss Parker got in the car. "Absolutely swell," the protégé replied, sarcasm in his voice.
Very few words were exchanged for a long while.
As the drive progressed, Jarod grew more and more fidgety – he had been watching the houses go by and recognized the route. "Why are we going to Lyle's house?" he asked.
"Just sit still," Miss Parker told him in a no-nonsense way. Deliberately provoking him, however, she quickly injected him with a drug and just as quickly put the syringe away.
Jarod couldn't help but jump. Defending himself, he repined, "Something just stung me, Miss Parker."
Ignoring his complaint, she reiterated her command: "Just sit still."
Diffused by major muscle, the sedative took a while to react. After a while, Sydney could not help but notice that Jarod was asleep; his head was tilted forward and the only thing keeping him up was the fact that he was leaning on the doctor. He looked over the other's head to see what Miss Parker thought of the matter, but her face was decidedly turned to the window, and Sydney could see she was ignoring the pathetic sight.
After they parked in front of Lyle's home, Miss Parker unlocked the front door, using a key she'd stolen from her brother. Sydney got out of the car, causing Jarod to fall over. With Broots, he moved the dead weight into the house.
"Alright. Let's go," Miss Parker said when Jarod was on the floor.
"You're going to leave him like this?" Sydney objected.
Displaying unusual callous, she asked, "Why not?"
Not wanting to be in Lyle's spotless house any longer, Broots timidly inquired, "Can we go now?"
"Come on, Syd. Let's go. Lunch is almost over," Miss Parker repeated over her shoulder as she walked out the door. "If you don't join us, you'll have to catch a cab or something."
Sydney turned to leave, but not before giving Jarod a last sympathizing look.
The doctor approached her once more later that day. "How could you do it?" he asked. "You acted like Jarod was just an item to be gotten rid of!"
"You do what you have to, Sydney," she said coldly. "That's how you survive."
He seemed to detect a trace of guilt in her voice, and it felt like she was putting on a touch exterior to hide it. "Then for your sake and your conscience I hope your plan works," he said.